Siesta housing project moves forward

After residents objected to the location of a proposed Siesta Key condominium project last year, a developer has filed scaled-back plans for the site with the county.

On May 3, 6100 MPR LLC filed plans for a four-story, six-unit multifamily building at 6100 Midnight Pass Road. The project, named Halcyon of Siesta Key, calls for the construction of a 9,083-square-foot building on a 1.5-acre site, according to county documents.

David Lehrman, a real estate professional and manager of 6100 MPR LLC, said his work experience drove him to invest in a project in the area. Before he started his own real estate company, he was involved in the development and marketing of the residential Hyatt Siesta Key Beach, located just off Midnight Pass Road.

He first targeted the site in 2015, envisioning a project that offered large spaces for the residences while maintaining a scale that was fitting with the property’s proximity to the beach. The group purchased the land in February 2016 for $4.7 million.

“For multiple reasons, it is very difficult to develop any new construction on the beach in Siesta Key, so we knew that we had to make this a very special project,” Lehrman wrote in an email.

Lehrman hopes to begin construction on Halcyon of Siesta Key this summer, completing the project by the end of 2018. The units will sell for just less than
$4 million, he said.

The project attracted outside interest late last year, when the developer sought approval from the County Commission to cross the Gulf Beach Setback Line to construct the building and its amenities. The coastal setback line is designed to prohibit the construction of beachfront structures in areas that would be vulnerable to erosion and storm damage.

The commission has the authority to grant variances that allow construction seaward of the setback line if enforcement of the regulations would “impose an unreasonable hardship on the land,” according to the county’s comprehensive plan. In December, residents from the neighboring Horizons West argued the proposal didn’t meet that standard.

Horizons West residents Darrell and Betsy Olson said a taller, more seaward structure on the adjacent property would obstruct their view of the water. Although Horizons West is also partially seaward of the setback line, the condo complex was constructed before the county established the boundary in the 1970s.

“The variance will destroy our beautiful northwest sunset and gulf views, as well as substantially increase the density of the area,” the Olsons wrote in a letter to the county. “When we purchased our unit back in 1998, we understandably thought that the adjacent properties had been fully developed and that further expansion westward toward the gulf would not be tolerated.”

The Siesta Key Association also opposed the proposed variance. The commission ultimately approved a compromise variance, which prohibited the developer from adding a building seaward of the line but allowed some amenities past the boundary.

Under the revised plans, the building extends to the Gulf Beach Setback Line, and is scaled down from eight planned units to six. A proposed deck and pool area would be built seaward of the boundary.

Lehrman said he was optimistic that neighboring residents would embrace the new proposal for the site, which moves the building further landward and reduces the density of the project.